Orbital AutoCAD Workstations - Built For CAD

Hand-built and supported in the USA by CAD experts, Orbital Computers are designed from the ground up to power through massive 2D & 3D AutoCAD workloads without skipping a beat.

AutoCAD Workstation

Configuration Recommendations

CPU / Processor

AutoCAD is a primarily single-threaded application that benefits heavily from CPUs with high single-threaded performance such as the Intel Core i7 9700k or Core i9 9900k, both available on the Orbital Silenced C2000. Single-threaded programs will generally only use one or a few CPU cores/threads at a time. The way to speed those tasks up is with a higher operating frequency (value given in GHz). The 9700k runs at 4.9GHz and the 9900k runs at 5.0 GHz, making it the fastest factory single-threaded CPU available. For multi-threaded tasks like rendering and heavy multi-tasking, AutoCAD can make use of multiple CPU cores/threads. The 9700k/9900k both have 8 cores which perform very well with all multi-threaded AutoCAD tasks including rendering. If you perform a great deal of rendering, it would be worthwhile to upgrade to the Orbital C3000 Pro which is available with up to 18 cores and 36 threads while still maintaining a high operating frequency. Single-threaded speed is key to maximizing AutoCAD performance, including both 2D and 3D AutoCAD workloads.

Memory / RAM

AutoCAD is a very memory intensive program. For most people, 32GB of RAM should be enough, but if your workload is particularly large, complex, or detailed, you may want to increase the RAM capacity to 64GB. It is important to configure the system with enough RAM such that AutoCAD never runs out of memory capacity. If AutoCAD runs out of RAM, the data spills over to the paging file, which will have a negative impact on performance. All Orbital Computers Workstations are designed to be user expandable with non-proprietary memory modules; that way you can start with a lower RAM capacity to keep costs down and upgrade as needed in the future. All RAM used by Orbital comes with a manufacturer's lifetime warranty on parts.

Graphics Card

AutoDesk specifically recommend the Nvidia Quadro line of professional workstation graphics cards, however, Orbital Computers has found through testing and supporting AutoCAD workstations over the years that Nvidia's GTX GeForce cards work very well for AutoCAD as well. The GeForce cards provide considerably more performance per dollar as compared to the Quadro cards so feel free to choose either the Quadro or GeForce card for your workstation. For light to heavy 2D AutoCAD workloads, the Nvidia P600 is recommended. For moderate 3D workloads, the Quadro P2000 or GeForce RTX 2060 is ideal. For very heavy 3D workloads, the Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000 or GeForce RTX 2080 are recommended for their increased video-RAM capacity and greater number of CUDA processing cores which will enable larger, more detailed 3D scenes to be edited and manipulated with higher frame rates.

Storage

A fast solid state drive (SSD) is included by default on all Orbital workstations. Fast drives will help improve file loading, saving, and transferring times. For most AutoCAD workstations, we recommend at least a 500GB solid state drive for your operating system and all programs, as well as a traditional hard drive as needed for long-term storage of spare data. We also offer Samsung M.2 NVMe PCI-e SSDs which operate at speeds nearly 5-6 times faster than normal SSDs for maximum storage performance.

System

For most users, the Orbital Silenced C2000 is the recommended base workstation for AutoCAD. The C2000 is available with the fastest single-threaded Intel Core i7 CPU while still maintaining a healthy amount of CPU cores/threads. For AutoCAD users who perform heavy rendering or are working on extremely complex models (e.g. large commercial buildings), we recommend the C3000 Pro with an Intel Core i9 CPU that offers more cores/threads with a high operating frequency.

Why Orbital

Orbital Computers has been a leading professional workstation computer builder for over 5 years. We only build with the highest quality components, providing maximum performance, unbeatable reliability, and industry-leading in-house tech support, free for life. All Orbital Computers Workstations are built and supported in the USA.